The Wolves underwent a coaching change last summer and for the last few years collected enough lottery picks to position themselves as a team on the rise. But that hasn’t manifested itself just yet; on the contrary, the Wolves were tied for last place in the league a few days ago. How is this going over in Minnesota? Well, the fans appear to be patient, to a degree, and Wolves owner Glen Taylor is as surprised as anyone. He spoke recently with Twin Cities legend Sid Hartman about the Wolves:
Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor was asked if he expected this kind of start after some of the big offseason changes.
“Well, let’s say that I was hopeful they would get off to a better start,” said Taylor, who also owns the Star Tribune. “Even in all the games they have played, you can see the exceptional talent that we have, and the ability to win. But for some reason or another, which I don’t have an answer for, we just have a terrible quarter in each game and get ourselves so far behind that it’s hard to pull it out. I’m hopeful that we’re getting it figured out.”
What has been difficult to understand is how a team that finished last season 7-5, including an impressive overtime victory over record-setting Golden State, and then added a world-renowned coach could look like it has taken a step backward.
Taylor said the bigger picture of changing head coaches and front-office officials challenged players to learn new systems and ways to develop, which sometimes is a slow process that doesn’t immediately translate into victories.
“I agree with you,” Taylor said. “It appeared that last year we were making progress throughout the year with these young guys, and I guess it was maybe my expectations and others that we could just pick up on that and go forward.”
Taylor said Thibodeau shares his frustration.
“He’s frustrated that we don’t win. I think he’s being patient, probably more patient than I thought his personality would let him do,” Taylor said. “I know that he’s working hard with these players, to show them what they’re doing wrong and how they might improve. He likes the guys, he likes their work ethic, he sees a lot of potential in them. But he, too, wants to see some wins to show that we’re improving.”
